The present invention generally relates to a medical table, and more particularly relates to a medical table and a method for moving a patient from a first position to a second position.
Many medical procedures are performed with a patient lying on a medical table. Typically, the medical table on which the patient is lying is made from a very hard and uncomfortable material. Moreover, many medical procedures require the patient to be minimally clothed and may take a significant amount of time to complete. Therefore, the patient lying on the table can become very uncomfortable (e.g. cold, or hot if the patient is suffering from a fever), which increases the stress he or she experiences during the medical procedure.
Additionally, it often becomes necessary to adjust the patient's position on the medical table from a first position to a second position in order to successfully complete the medical procedure. For example, patients undergoing a colonoscopic medical procedure are frequently moved from a supine position (i.e. denoting a body when lying face upward) to a lateral position (i.e. denoting a body when lying on its side) to facilitate the advancement of an endoscope to a patient's colon. Furthermore, other medical procedures, such as radiographic imaging studies, may require a patient to be moved from a supine position to a prone position (i.e. denoting a body when lying face downward).
The movement of a patient lying on a medical table from a first position to a second position has heretofore largely depended upon a great deal of physical effort being exerted by attending medical personnel. For example, to move a patient positioned in a supine position to a prone position typically requires attending medical personnel to pull or tug a bed sheet on which the patient is lying so as to gradually move the patient toward an edge of the medical table. As the patient is moved toward the edge of the medical table, other medical personnel lift and push the patient's shoulder which is closest to the edge, in a direction opposite to the direction the bed sheet is being pulled. The simultaneous pulling of the bed sheet in one direction, while the patient's shoulder is lifted and pushed in the opposite direction, rolls the patient over from a supine position to a prone position.
One disadvantage of repositioning the patient in the above described manner is that the involved medical personnel are prone to injuries resulting from the pulling or tugging of the bed sheet. For example, they sometimes suffer from sprained wrists or backs that occasionally result in incurring some degree of disability. This is especially true when the patient is a large adult. Another disadvantage is that the pulling or tugging of the bed sheet causes the patient to be moved in a "jerking motion." This jerking motion can be extremely uncomfortable, or even dangerous to the patient depending upon the type of illness of the patient (e.g. osteoporosis or arthritis).
Patients are also moved from a first position to a second position utilizing a "tilt table." Tilt tables are constructed such that the patient positioned thereon can be tilted or angled relative to the ground. Once the patient is angled, medical personnel utilize the force of gravity to move the patient from a first position to a second position. For example, a tilt table can be used to roll the patient over from a supine position to a prone position. However, one disadvantage of the aforementioned procedure is that the use of gravity can result in the patient being moved in a relatively uncontrollable fashion. Moving the patient in a relatively uncontrollable fashion increases the danger to the patient.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a medical table that reduces injuries to medical personnel when moving a patient from a first position to a second position during a medical procedure. It would also be desirable to provide a medical table that reduces the physical effort required by medical personnel when moving a patient from a first position to a second position during a medical procedure. It would further be desirable to provide a medical table that safely moves a patient from a first position to a second position during a medical procedure. It would still further be desirable to provide a medical table that is comfortable for a patient.